PhD Opportunity – Developing International Relations from Environmental Histories of and by the Amazon

Aberystwyth University – Department of History & Welsh History

About the Project

This project aims to contribute to efforts to world International Relations (IR) and decolonise history by exploring the study and practice of IR through decolonial environmental histories of and from the Amazon. The central question guiding this study is: How can participatory environmental histories from the Amazon contribute to decolonialising the study and practice of both history and IR?

This project recognises the intertwined relationship between the writing of history and the organisation of international relations in theory and practice, and aims to develop environmental histories from the Amazon to provide new ground for exploring alternative practices of international diplomacy and collective organisation. The successful candidate will initially gather and review relevant literature on environmental histories of the Amazon. The candidate may be involved in archival research, some aspects of oral history, including the preparation and analysis of data, and the development of the appropriate interdisciplinary conceptual frameworks to undertake and inform the methodology of the research.

The successful candidate will be supported in conducting independent historical research in the Amazon Rainforest along with a diverse range of stakeholders if that is how their research project develops. Fluency in Portuguese would support the conduct of fieldwork but is not an essential requirement.

This project will be jointly supervised in the Department of History and Welsh History (Dr Diana Valencia-Duarte) and Department of International Politics (Dr Hannah Hughes). The successful candidate will be a member of the postgraduate community of both Departments and be provided with office space in the International Politics Building.

How to Apply:

Please contact Hannah Hughes (hah60@aber.ac.uk) and/or Diana Valencia-Duarte (div5@aber.ac.uk) for further details on the project and an application form.

Expected start date: September 2024